Month: June 2024

Perhaps it’s appropriate that a team nicknamed the Stallions just won the Triple Crown.

Birmingham cemented its spring football dynasty on Sunday in St. Louis, blanking the San Antonio Brahmas, 25-0, to win the inaugural United Football League championship in front of 27,396 fans at The Dome of America.

The hoisting of their latest trophy follows up back-to-back United States Football League titles, meaning the Stallions’ three-peat marks the first in the U.S.-based play-for-pay gridiron game since the Green Bay Packers accomplished the feat from 1965-67.

The Stallions finish at 11-1 while the Brahmas close out at 8-4.

In what was billed as a battle between the best offense and defense in the league, Skip Holtz’s club had both.

The Magic City reps outgained Wade Phillips’ charges 308-208, limiting them to 53 rushing yards and, most importantly, keeping them off the scoreboard.

The conquest avenged an 18-9 loss to San Antonio during the regular season and puts Birmingham’s record at a gaudy 32-4 over the past three seasons.

“I thought our defense played a heckuva football game,” Holtz said. “They kept the ball in front of them, didn’t give up any big plays, tackled … just an unbelievable effort by our defensive side. And offensively, I felt like we were really opportunistic.

“We were three for three when we got in the red zone. We put the ball in the end zone and didn’t have to kick field goals all night, which was really special. But I thought these guys did a great job.”

The first half was … not good.

Neither team crossed midfield until there was 2:50 left in first half; it came on a 44-yard, tackle-busting run by Birmingham’s Ricky Person Jr. that took the ball down to the San Antonio 30.

A pass interference flag on the next snap moved the markers to the 16, and the Stallions finally scored when season and game MVP Adrian Martinez hit Gary Jennings on an 8-yard TD toss. The two-point conversion made it 8-0, and the way the contest was going, that looked like it might be enough.

But four minutes into the third quarter Birmingham got more, this time when Martinez called his own number and scooted into the end zone from 11 yards out.

One play later the Brahmas gave the ball back on a fumble, putting the Stallions in business at the enemy 24.

Martinez capped off the drive with a 1-yard QB sneak on fourth down midway through the third. Even though the conversion failed, this one was all but over at 22-zip.

“I think our defense played great,” Martinez said. “Despite going 11-1, it’s been an up and down year in some senses. And I think our team fought through adversity, found a way to get back in our groove. Coach told us last week that we kind of hit a sweet spot on offense midway through the year, and we needed to find a way to get back in gear for the playoffs.”

Trailing 25-0, San Antonio got a spark when Quinten Dormady replaced Chase Garbers at quarterback. He led his mates all the way to the Birmingham six, but they went backward from there thanks to a swarming “D.” That left the eventual winners to milk the clock and secure the shutout – the first and only of the UFL season.

“It is hard to continue to win,” Holtz said. “You put a target on your chest, and everybody’s shooting for you, and everybody’s circling that game, and you are going to get everybody’s best effort. But as I have told the team, the only thing that’s better than playing against the Stallions is having the opportunity to play for them.”

There was nothing otherworldly about the Stallions’ offensive stats, but they were more than adequate.

Martinez finished 13-23-0 for 98 yards and a touchdown through the air, while adding 54 ground yards and a score.

Person wound up with 102 yards on 13 carries while C.J. Marable contributed 45 yards toting the freight.

Marlon Williams led the receiving corps with 36 yards, with Jennings accounting for the only TD catch.

Linebacker Kyahva Tezino turned in a fantastic performance for the champs, forcing two fumbles to go with nine tackles – six of them solo. Damon Lloyd and Lorenzo Burns were in on six tackles each.

“I cannot take any moment for granted, because just before the USFL even started, I was on the couch … I mean, I was working for Amazon,” Tezino said. “My life changed in the snap of a finger. So, it’s truly a blessing to be here, to be on the Stallions, to get a championship. Just to be right here in this moment, right now, I’m just so grateful.”

Garbers finished 18-26-0 for 116 San Antonio yards, with Calvin Turner catching five balls for 49 yards.

Teez Tabor contributed six individual tackles and 10 takedowns in all.

“It was a great season, but it was a bad game,” Phillips said. “That’s what it came down to. I’m not taking anything away from Birmingham … they obviously are a really good football team. They played great today. You know, I thought we had a chance against them, because we beat them during the regular season, but we were at home then.

“They’ve been there a lot of times and showed their experience in a championship game. Once they got ahead it was pretty clear what the final would be because of the way they played.”

Scoring plays: Birmingham, Gary Jennings, 8-yard reception from Adrian Martinez, :40 second quarter, 2-point conversion catch by Amari Rodgers from Martinez, Stallions 8, Brahmas 0; Birmingham, Martinez, 11-yard run, 11:00 third quarter, 2-point conversion catch by Jordan Thomas from Martinez, Stallions 16, Brahmas 0; Birmingham, Martinez, 1-yard run, 7:25 third quarter, 2-point conversion failed, Stallions 22, Brahmas 0; Birmingham, Chris Blewitt, 49-yard field goal, 11:36 fourth quarter, Stallions 25, Brahmas 0.

Standout stat: 3. Number of championships Birmingham has won in three championship game appearances.

Next up: The 2025 season.

OTD in 1975: The Birmingham Vulcans of the World Football League signed former University of Alabama running back Johnny Musso. Musso had previously played professionally for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League.

OTD in 1979: The Alabama Vulcans of the American Football Association defeated the Arkansas Champs, 49-14, to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Kenny Burks rushed for 81 yards and scored three touchdowns, while Ernest Williams added two TDs and 77 yards carrying the ball.

Myron Smith had 99 rushing yards and a score.

A Birmingham Parks and Recreation official estimated attendance for the game at Legion Field was between 8-10,000.

OTD in 1984: The Birmingham Stallions of the original United States Football League defeated the Memphis Showboats, 35-20, in front of a sellout crowd of 50,079 fans at the Liberty Bowl.

Quarterback Cliff Stoudt threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while running back Joe Cribbs rushed for two TDs in a contest that saw the Stallions improve to 14-3.

OTD in 1995: The Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League played their first preseason game, losing to the Shreveport Pirates, 31-28, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport.

Former Auburn quarterback Reggie Slack, subbing for injured starter Matt Dunigan, was 10-18-0 for two touchdowns while Jimmy Klingler went 8-14-1 for 171 yards and a TD.

Birmingham was penalized 17 times for 143 yards.

The San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL Conference finished with a 4-0 mark against USFL Conference teams in the inaugural season of the United Football League – including an 18-9 victory over the Birmingham Stallions on May 25.

That snapped the two-time defending USFL champions’ 15-game winning streak dating back to 2023, and ultimately helped the XFL contingent win the head-to-head battle with the USFL, 9-7.

So, what does that mean entering Sunday’s rematch between the teams in the UFL Championship Game in St. Louis?

Simply that 2024’s premiere spring football clash will feature the circuit’s two best squads.

San Antonio (8-3) is playing its best football of the year thanks in large part to getting its running back room healthy, while Birmingham (10-1) is one victory away from dynasty status.

The Stallions average 26.5 points and 347.5 yards per game to 19.2 and 296.6 for the Brahmas. Birmingham has tallied 31 touchdowns to 24 for San Antonio and has the league’s top-ranked offense.

On the other side of the ball, the XFL Conference champs have the No. 1 defense, yielding just 15.3 points per game to 18 for the USFL Conference standard bearers.

“We know we have a great challenge with San Antonio,” Stallions coach Skip Holtz said. “Our players are really excited. if they could have picked who we’d play, it’s San Antonio. It’s not only their record, but it’s not very often in sports that when you lose a game, you get a do-over.

“I think they’re really excited about this opportunity. Not only is it a championship game, but it’s against our only blemish. So, I think there’s gonna be a lot of emotion.”

Brahmas boss Wade Phillips said his charges are equally pumped about their shot at glory.

“I’d feel great for the players,” Phillips said. “They work really hard at it and they deserve where they are now, and I think they deserve a championship. But, they have to play for it and win it.

“We beat a team that hadn’t lost a game in two years, and now we just beat a team (St. Louis) that hadn’t lost a home game. So, I believe we’ve been the underdogs almost every game and we like playing that role.”

The Brahmas have been outstanding on defense since Week 1, but now their offense is showing how good it can be.

In last week’s 25-15 win over St. Louis in the XFL Conference title tilt, Anthony McFarland rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown while John Lovett was back in the lineup and ground out 83 yards.

Although he played in just eight regular season games, Lovett was the league’s third-leading rusher with 422 yards and five TDs.

Chase Garbers is once again starting at QB, and threw for 765 yards and six TDs in five regular season appearances.

The team has several talented receivers, led by Jontre Kirklin, who has 56 catches for 614 yards and three paydirt receptions.

“We’ve got to tackle,” Birmingham safety JoJo Tillery said. “Their receivers are great once they get the ball in their hands, and the yards after the catch is going to be big for them. I know McFarland has been doing a lot – he’s a physical runner. Those guys are elusive, so we have to try our best to get them on the ground as soon as you can.”

The Stallions, of course, feature UFL MVP Adrian Martinez at quarterback as well as Matt Corral, who could be considered QB1-A.

Martinez has hit 134 of 229 passes for 1,749 yards, 18 TDs and three interceptions.

He led the UFL in rushing with 528 yards in the regular season.

Corral came on in relief for Martinez in last week’s 31-18 victory over Michigan, and San Antonio defensive coordinator Will Reed said there’s a plan for both.

“There’s two schools of thought,” Reed said. “Martinez got them there, just didn’t have a great game. Matt got them out of it, so OK, we’ll go back with Adrian. There’s also the possibility they’ll play both. And then the other piece is there’s one game left … Matt came in and had the hot hand, maybe that’s who they’ll stick with. We have to prepare for seeing both or either/or.”

Stallions tight end Jace Sternberger has scored four times and caught 25 balls for 454 yards; Deon Cain has 436 receiving yards and three touchdowns; and Marlon Williams has racked up 313 yards and four scores catching the ball.

Ricky Person Jr. (342 yards, six TDs) and C.J. Marable (309 yards, four TDs) give Birmingham a nice 1-2 punch when Martinez or Corral opts to hand the ball off.

Although Holtz is certainly concerned with the San Antonio attack, it’s the defense that really grabs his attention.

“When you look at them as a defense, they have the No. 1 defense in our league, having given up 20 or more points one time,” he said. “When you look at their schedule, they’ve given up 9, 12, 15, 18, 13 … they’ve got a really strong defense, and they do a really nice job. They’re a very talented group.

“They’ve played great ball all year, you know? It’s not an overly complicated scheme. It’s not that they do a million things and blitz from everywhere and create an ungodly amount of pressure with what they do, they just play solid, fundamental football. They’re built on speed.”

Linebacker Kyahva Tezino leads the Stallions in tackles with 70, while tackle Carlos Davis has seven sacks and A.J. Thomas, three interceptions. The team has 29 sacks and eight INTs in all.

Josh Moseley paces the Brahmas with 75 tackles, linebacker Wyatt Ray has recorded 5.5 sacks (they have 32 for the year), and cornerback Teez Tabor has two of his team’s four picks.

The 2024 campaign demonstrated that the former USFL and XFL teams that merged into the UFL formed a balanced league. But after 11 weeks, there is little question which sides stand above the rest.

“I think the two best teams have earned their way into the championship,” Holtz said. “And so, really excited to have the opportunity to play in the championship game, really  excited to have the opportunity to represent the city of Birmingham, but really glad that we have the opportunity to go against a quality team.”

Game time is set for 4 p.m. on Sunday at The Dome at America’s Center. The contest can be seen on FOX.

If you decide to pore over Wade Phillips’ coaching resume, you might want to pack a lunch.

It’s gonna take a while to get through.

Since starting as a graduate assistant at the University of Houston in 1969, Phillips has held 22 different positions. And over the past 45 years, he has made stops at one high school, three colleges and 10 different NFL franchises – including head coaching stints with the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys and interim gigs with the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans.

Considered one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, Phillips has served the DC role eight different times with seven different big-league teams.

But the past two years he’s taken his experience to spring football – last year with the XFL Houston Roughnecks and this season as head man with the United Football League’s San Antonio Brahmas.

And while he has a Super Bowl ring as an assistant with the Broncos, he is one win away from walking off the field as a championship-winning head coach for the first time.

The Brahmas (8-3) face the Birmingham Stallions (10-1) on Sunday in the UFL Championship Game in St. Louis, and the team from Alamo City has Phillips’ fingerprints all over it; a smothering defense and blue-collar approach.

With his 77th birthday a week away, he stays in the game because the game is an integral part of his life.

“It’s coaching, you know?” he said. “It’s what I do. I mean, that’s what I’ve done. I’m probably not good at anything else. I like coaching, I like being around the players, I like the strategy of the game and the reward of winning. It’s a neat feeling and a cool feeling for everybody.”

Before joining the Roughnecks in 2023, Phillips’ most recent coaching job was defensive coordinator with the Rams from 2017-19.

But he showed he still knew how to draw up Xs and Os when he came to spring ball, leading the Roughnecks to a 7-4 record and XFL South Division title.

When the XFL and USFL merged to form the UFL, the Roughnecks were effectively disbanded. The nickname and locale remained, but the club was simply the USFL Houston Gamblers rebranded.

Phillips was then moved to the Brahmas, who limped to a 3-7 mark under Hines Ward during the 2023 XFL season.

Predicted to be an also-ran in the new league’s first year, San Antonio has the top-ranked defense in the league, is the only team to defeat Birmingham, and holds a 4-0 mark against the USFL Conference.

So, how different is coaching at this level versus the highest level?

Other than money, Phillips says it’s the same.

“It’s not any different,” Phillips said. “These are grown men and I try to treat them like grown men. But also, you preach character and I think it’s important that you have the right kind of players and right kind of people. So, I just emphasize certain things that I think will help them not just in football, but in life itself.

“But, no, it’s not different. It’s coaching, it’s organization, it’s organized the same way because you’re the head coach and everything comes to you.”

Stallions coach Skip Holtz has long admired Phillips, although he certainly hopes to flip the script on the 18-9 regular season loss his team suffered to San Antonio in Sunday’s rematch.   

“With all the years of him walking up and down the sidelines and watching professional football, the success that he’s had, his character … it’s hard to do it,” Holtz said. “It’s very difficult to be a head football coach. I think it’s even more difficult to be a head football coach with the success that he’s had year in and year out. I think he does a great job. He’s done it with character. He’s a great man … I think he is. I have always been a fan of his.”

And if the Brahmas walk away with the UFL crown, will Phillips walk away from coaching?

Don’t count on it.

“They’ll probably run me off some time,” Phillips said. “But as long as I’m healthy – and that’s a factor at my age, I understand that – but as long as I’m healthy and can contribute, which I think I have, I don’t set a time limit.

“But I get older every day … I know that.”